50 Times People Roasted Gym Influencers Who Clearly Don’t Know What They’re Doing

Given that the whole point of exercising, unless you’re aiming to be a professional athlete, is to improve your health, it’s pretty heartbreaking when something so positive gets twisted into a tool for deception by those chasing fame and profit.

To make money and build clout, some gym influencers bend the truth in all sorts of ways. They promote impossible physiques by heavily editing photos or using performance-enhancing medication, while others push “miracle” weight-loss products that can do more harm than good.

Instead of helping, these practices mislead followers who genuinely want advice, creating a culture of insecurity and spreading dangerous misinformation.

When you’re on the receiving end of all this, it’s hard not to wonder: why would anyone risk their own health, and that of others, just to sell a lie? The answer, unfortunately, is simple: it’s lucrative.

“In the current economic climate, the fitness industry is a very appealing place,” James Smith, a personal trainer, fitness influencer and bestselling author who has been open about using steroids in his early 20s, told The Guardian.

“If you’ve got decent genetics, you’re a decent coach and have a grasp of marketing, you can unlock a very good income selling workouts and training plans. So maybe you take a little bit of testosterone to get a little leg up, and suddenly you’re getting compliments at the gym and posting record lifts on Instagram,” Smith explains.

“Surely a bit of human growth hormone couldn’t hurt? OK, business is now at an all-time high; followers are coming up to you and asking about reps and sets. You’ve dug yourself a hole that is hard to get out of. What do you do now? Tell your audience you’re on steroids?”

The problem is, it does hurt people. Followers who trust their favorite creators might push themselves to the brink trying to achieve the same look, or sink into despair comparing themselves to a lifestyle that was never real in the first place.

And the numbers reflect this pressure.

A 2022 survey from social enterprise Better found that 23% of men and 42% of women “rarely” or “never” feel body confident.

A smaller study in 2024 went further, showing that heavy social media users who constantly liked and commented on content were less satisfied with their bodies and more likely to feel negatively about their appearance.

Once you fall down that rabbit hole, the cycle is addictive: endless videos promising “abs in 5 days” or “the workout that will change everything.”

In reality, muscle takes time to build. As personal trainer Dan Roberts, who has coached actors and Broadway performers, notes, suddenly packing on huge amounts of it is usually a red flag that it wasn’t done naturally.

Then there’s the whole “grind culture” mentality—the idea that pushing yourself until you collapse somehow proves your dedication. Some influencers glorify the pain, but experts say pain is not the badge of honor it’s made out to be.

The idea that you’re extremely sore after your workout isn’t a reliable indicator that the workout has been effective, explains Lisa Keer, NBC-HWC, CEC. Real pain signals something is wrong. Mild discomfort that fades is normal, and Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) just means you pushed past your current limits. Over time, less soreness actually shows progress, not failure.

So instead of chasing soreness or someone else’s highlight reel the focus should be on safe, steady growth. Progressive overload, where you gradually increase weight, reps, or intensity, ensures real improvement without risking injury.

Smith believes real change can only happen if influencers are honest about what they’re doing to look the way they do and the risks that come with it. Roberts adds that shifting the perspective of fitness away from unattainable aesthetics and toward genuine health is what could truly help.

“When it comes to our health, there are so many actually proven things we can do to live longer, be happier, fitter, stronger,” Roberts says. “The good information is out there—we just have to look for it through all the noise and nonsense.”